I did not respond to Mi Cai directly, and maintained a serious tone as I said to her, “Let’s talk about your thoughts on Mi Zhongde, okay?”
Mi Cai shifted her gaze forward, accelerated the car, and after a while, finally said to me, “He is a person who clearly separates work from personal feelings. He is a businessman.”
“He is also your uncle.”
Mi Cai’s words were soft, yet instinctively carried a sense of aversion. She continued, “I know what you want to talk to me about, but at this stage, asking me to cooperate with him to counteract the investors is a serious violation of business ethics. It would be a risk for Zhuo Mei.”
“You’re afraid that other investors will become cautious and hesitant about investing in Zhuo Mei because of this incident?”
“That’s just one of the reasons.”
“Regardless of how many concerns you have, shouldn’t you at least give the other side an opportunity for dialogue? Perhaps there might be some gains from it. Mi Zhongde is in an awkward position now, and you do have the foundation for cooperation.”
“It was only for mutual benefit that we came together before, and there will inevitably be conflicts of interest in the future. Are we going to keep separating and reuniting endlessly like this?”
I pondered for a while before asking, “What if the cooperation is based on family ties?”
“If my uncle truly approached me with the intention of cooperating out of familial affection, I would definitely agree. But who can guarantee that his so-called familial affection isn’t just a temporary strategy?”
I had no words to counter Mi Cai, and only muttered softly to myself, “Life is merely a game arranged by fate. Why do all of you take it so seriously? In your seriousness, what exactly are you trying to gain?”
…
Back at the old house, Mi Cai went to the bathroom to freshen up, while I sat in the living room smoking. I kept thinking about Fang Yuan’s “life is a game” theory from tonight, still feeling that there was a difference in how we understood the concept of the game. I wondered how he viewed life as a game. After a long time, I still couldn’t figure it out, and eventually felt confused about why I insisted on trying to understand someone else’s perspective with my own limited perception.
As I was finishing my cigarette, Mi Cai finally emerged from the bathroom, wiping her wet hair. She no longer cared much about my smoking inside the house and calmly sat on the sofa opposite me, handing me a fruit plate with grapes.
I gestured that I wasn’t interested, and she didn’t insist. She began reading a financial magazine while eating the grapes. My craving for cigarettes seemed particularly strong tonight, so I took out another cigarette from the pack and lit it. Mi Cai remained calm, but opened all the windows in the living room to help dissipate the smoke more quickly.
When I finally put out the cigarette butt, she closed her magazine and looked at me.
“What? Are you trying to encourage me to smoke another one?”
“Go ahead if you don’t mind getting lung disease!”
I looked at the cigarette pack in my hand and saw there was only one left. To maintain my habit of smoking a cigarette before bed, I shook my head and said, “I won’t smoke it now.”
“You can smoke it if you want. If you run out, I can go to the convenience store downstairs to buy more.”
“You devil, what are you thinking? Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?”
Mi Cai finally smiled and said, “I didn’t expect you to realize I was teasing you. I thought you had become so addicted to smoking that you had lost your senses!”
“I have some troubling thoughts, and smoking makes me feel a bit better.”
Mi Cai’s smile faded, seemingly affected by my mood. She sighed softly and after a while, said to me, “I know you’re troubled about my situation. I’m not completely against cooperating with my uncle, but the premise is that I need to see his sincerity. His recent actions have really disappointed me, especially the last time when he disregarded Zhuo Mei’s safety and created that PR crisis, which greatly harmed Zhuo Mei!”
I nodded, also feeling angry about Mi Zhongde’s actions. Still, I asked Mi Cai, trying to control my frustration, “Then what kind of sincerity would he need to show to convince you?”
Mi Cai seemed to have already thought about this and said, “If he genuinely wants to cooperate with me based on family ties rather than commercial interests, then he should invite you to be present at the negotiation. You are the man I recognize, and after we get married, you will also be his relative. He needs to acknowledge you as his niece’s future husband.”
“It’s fine for me to be there to support you during the negotiation, but doesn’t this reasoning seem a bit far-fetched? How did my acceptance become the basis for your cooperation?”
In response to my confusion, Mi Cai did not directly explain but simply said, “If he still values our family relationship, he should first respect my happiness. Therefore, I don’t think there’s anything unreasonable about this.”
I thought carefully and realized that it actually made sense. If Mi Zhongde truly cared about family ties, he should first recognize Mi Cai’s choice of marriage partner as a family member and offer his sincere blessings. This could indeed be the prerequisite for communication based on familial affection.
…
It was late at night when I returned to my room and took the last cigarette from the pack. I lit it and took a few puffs, finally feeling a bit more at ease. At least now Mi Cai had shown some willingness to discuss cooperation with Mi Zhongde. If they could truly reconcile, regain control of Zhuo Mei, and also restore their family relationship, it would be a truly fortunate thing for her. I silently prayed: I just hope this isn’t just wishful thinking on my part!
After smoking half the cigarette, I thought of Leyao, who had just returned to Beijing, and couldn’t help but feel worried again. I immediately called Luo Ben to learn about the latest developments from him.
After a short while, Luo Ben finally answered the call. I asked him, “How is everything going? Was your return to Beijing smooth?”
His tone was filled with frustration as he replied, “Don’t even ask. As soon as we landed, he was recognized at the airport. First, he was surrounded by reporters waiting there, and then by a crowd of onlookers. It was almost like a battlefield!”
“Which side is public opinion leaning toward now?”
“Of course toward that pitiful bastard! You should have heard the questions those paparazzi asked at the airport today—it was unbearable. If it weren’t for the big shot’s agent holding me back, I would have punched that bastard already!”
From Luo Ben’s description, I could vividly imagine how difficult Leyao’s current situation must be. I thought about why she had spoken so harshly to prevent me from accompanying her back to Beijing. It was probably because she didn’t want me getting dragged into the mess of the entertainment industry. After all, I still had to take care of Mi Cai’s emotions.
After a brief silence, I said to Luo Ben, “You’ll have to bear with it for a few more days. With the current pressure from public opinion, she really needs someone by her side.”
“I do want to stay with her, but a few days ago I received notice from the show’s production team. I have to report in no later than next week. Today is already Thursday. How many more days do you think I can stay in Beijing?”
Luo Ben’s response left me helpless. I couldn’t just rush to Beijing myself to accompany her. At this moment, I really hoped that Leyao had a few close friends in the entertainment industry who could support her and help relieve some of her stress. But the truth was, no one had come forward to speak up for her even after several days of this malicious scandal. Not even someone offering a few polite words of support. This situation was partly due to how quickly Leyao had risen to fame—on one hand, it made her a target of jealousy, and on the other, she hadn’t yet gained enough experience in the industry to build strong connections with other celebrities. More importantly, she was proud by nature, and after spending years with Luo Ben, CC, and me, she had picked up a bit of that intellectual, artsy attitude, looking down on many people.
Finally, Luo Ben suggested to me during the silence, “Why don’t you contact CC and see if she can come back to accompany the big shot for a while? I can tell she’s under a lot of mental pressure. She hasn’t eaten anything tonight and has been locked in her room doing who knows what.”
I thought about it and decided that was the only option. I agreed to contact CC.
…
After ending the call with Luo Ben, I didn’t immediately contact CC. Instead, I logged onto Weibo first and checked some of the comments under Leyao’s posts. I immediately felt a surge of anger. Some people, either unaware of the truth or simply trying to pour oil on the fire, had left truly despicable comments. I flipped through several pages and found hardly any supportive messages for Leyao. I could imagine how greatly this must affect her emotionally. After all, who would want to bear the undeserved accusations of cheating and fickleness? Especially someone as prominent as Leyao.
At that moment, I had a deep premonition that Leyao might be facing the biggest crisis of her celebrity career. There had been female stars before whose public image had been severely damaged, leading to being shelved by their companies. Given how fast the entertainment industry replaces its stars, once shelved, their career is practically over.
Meanwhile, the scumbag who created this malicious scandal had already gained attention and public sympathy by exploiting Leyao. He had even caught the eye of several film companies. Recent entertainment news had reported that this jerk had already received offers from many production companies, with a bright future ahead. Indeed, life is just a game. To play it well, it doesn’t matter how upright or kind you are. What matters most is understanding the rules of the game and conquering it through shamelessness and despicability, without any need for loyalty or sentimentality.
Isn’t that right? Think about Leyao, a kind-hearted woman who once cried for orphans in the mountains, now bearing these accusations and facing a precarious career. Meanwhile, the jerk who abandoned her for a female producer has become the object of public sympathy. Should we blame the public for being ignorant, or is the game itself just too shallow?
…
With a heavy sigh, I put out the cigarette butt in my hand, finally took out my phone, and directly dialed CC’s number. It had indeed been a while since she left. I wondered whether this trip to Nepal had healed her emotional wounds. I hoped it had, and that her life no longer included Luo Ben. I hoped she had found the man who donated 100,000 yuan to the “Empty City Music Restaurant,” and that they were spending the rest of their lives together!
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